The 2018 edition of GTBank-Lagos State Principals Cup was officially announced at a press conference held on Thursday, 15th March 2018 at the Sports Bar of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The GTBank – Lagos State Principals Cup is the premier secondary school football competition in Nigeria. It aims to achieve the following:
- Provide a platform to discover, hone and develop grassroots football talents in secondary schools.
- Teach key tenets and life skills to youths through the “Playing by the Rules” campaign
- Help outstanding talents achieve their dreams of becoming professional footballers
Six Highlights of the Press Conference
- GTBank stated its commitment to the construction of three football pitches every year across the state
- Winning schools from the 2017 edition (Season 8) received their cheques
- Football equipment was handed over to each district for the Zonal Preliminaries
- 100% attendance from invited schools and District Officers
- 30 students ( 14 Boys and 16 Girls) were present at the press conference
- The dignitaries advised the students to dream and aspire
The Press Conference which started at 11am had in attendance several dignitaries and stakeholders in the Lagos grassroots football space:
- Mr. Tunde Bank-Anthony – Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC)
- Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi – Chairman, Lagos State Football Association (LSFA)
- Mrs. Tolulope Onipede – Corporate Communication and External Affairs, GTBank
- Mrs. Modupe Phillips – Corporate Communication and External Affairs, GTBank
- Mr. Jimmy Sogbesan – COO, MediaVision Limited
The welcome address was delivered by Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, who stated that it was a pleasure for him to be at another press conference to kick-start the GTBank – Lagos State Principals Cup 2018 (Season 9). He then expressed his delight at the yearly improvement in the tournament. The Sports chief assured that this year will definitely be better and there will be a review with new ideas brought into the competition.
He appreciated the Lagos State Ministry of Education and principals of the schools for their support and also thanked the students for giving so much energy and dedication towards the tournament.
Speaking on behalf of GTBank, Tolulope Onipede expressed her excitement at the commencement of a new season. She urged the students to take advantage of this opportunity while imploring them to dream more and work towards achieving their goals. She also outlined GTBank’s plan to continue its investment in infrastructural development of football pitches in the various educational districts in order to improve sporting facilities across the state.
Tunde Bank-Anthony noted that it is his first direct involvement in the tournament. He further stated that he hopes the competition brings its alumni as a way of inspiring the students while assuring GTBank of the support of Lagos State Sports Commission and Lagos State Football Association in talent development.
Jimmy Sogbesan, gave the final remarks by taking stock of where we are to identify gaps and bring back the glory days of the competition.
Cheque Presentation
The winning schools of the GTBank – Lagos State Principals Cup 2018 were presented with their cheque at the Press Conference.
Below are the cash recipients:
| POSITION | MALE | FEMALE | AMOUNT (₦) |
| Champions | Ijaiye Housing Estate Senior Grammar School, Ojokoro | Isale Eko Grammar School, Lagos Island | 1,000,000.00 each |
| 2nd | Ikotun Senior High School | Government College Agege, | 750, 000.00 each |
| 3rd | Odogunyan Senior Grammar School, Ikorodu | Ikorodu Senior High School | 500,000.00 each |
| 4th | Muslim Senior College, Oworonshoki | Sanya Senior Grammar School, Surulere | 250,000.00 each |
Equipment Handover
Football equipment – Footballs, Goalpost Nets and Corner Flags were presented to all districts.
Vote of Thanks
The Vote of thanks was delivered by Ojo Patience an SS 2 student of Government Senior College, Agege. In her remarks, she thanked the Lagos State Government and GTBank for the opportunity given to students to use their talent to become role models in the society.
Fela is the Co-founder of MediaVision Limited .
